Rotten Heart
by NeverlandAwaitsUs
Summary: Captain Swan AU: Princess Emma and Prince Killian are supposed to marry to unite the kingdoms, but neither are very keen on a marriage. They've never seen each other before and while Emma has to struggle with his attitude toward her, he has a dark secret he's keeping. (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Alright, this idea was in my head for a while now and after I started to write down little pieces, people pushed me to writing the first chapter and here you go. Big thanks to my lovely Beta and to all the people who read this chapter before and who encouraged me. I hope you enjoy the first chapter._

* * *

_"I will take away what you love most."_  
_The king never believed that something like that would happen just because he killed an animal. But he went too far into the woods of the witch; he hadn't noticed it was a special animal, and before he could have stopped his son, he had already shot the animal with a bolt from his crossbow. Only seconds later, the sky had become dark and the witch had appeared._  
_"And you, you have to pay with your soul."_  
_She pointed her finger at the young boy of fourteen years, and then she spoke the words that would change his fate. A cruel curse fell from her lips, and the boy was wrapped into a dark aura that disappeared into his body. A disease no one could stop. It would guzzle into his bones, eating him alive from the inside, and it would destroy his life and one of his loved ones. A few weeks was all he got. A few weeks full of suffering and the thought that he could die every day._  
_For days, the king and the guards searched for a cure, but they couldn't find one. No books knew the old words the witch had spoken, no healer and no wizard knew what they could do. The king would lose his only son, his wife would have died in vain, and the people would lose their future king. He couldn't let that happen. He needed to find a way, so he went through half the kingdom to a mountain everyone feared. At the top of it lived a witch, many years old, no one knew if she was good or bad, but he had to try._  
_In the second it took to reach the door, she had already opened it. She knew. She saw it in his eyes before she looked to the boy, almost a man, but with this curse in his bones and his heart, he would never have the chance to grow up. His face was already pale, his eyes looked tired, and his body was weak. The disease had almost reached its high, and he would die soon._  
_She let both in and studied the boy until she looked at the king with a face he couldn't read._  
_"It's in his heart. His heart is dying. It's black and rotten."_  
_The king swallowed hard, and the boy just took a deep breath, closing his eyes, but he didn't want to show any fear._  
_"Is there-"_  
_"A way? Yes. But it won't be pretty."_  
_The king tilted his head, looked at the witch, not knowing if he should be happy or afraid. She kneeled in front of the boy, stroking a strain of hair out of his eyes and looking back to the king._  
_"I have to take the heart."_  
_Silence. She placed her hand on the chest of the young boy, could feel how he struggled with his breathing, could feel how the heart beat slowly._  
_"I have to take your heart. The curse won't affect you anymore and you will live. But you will also lose the feelings that come from your heart. Love. Happiness. The good things. You will feel empty, hurt, and the darkness of the curse will still be in your bones and in your soul."_  
_The boy looked to his father, then back to the old woman. He swallowed and didn't really understand what she meant, what consequences all of this would have. He was too tired, in too much pain, and he just didn't want to die. He wanted to be a great king one day. He wanted to make his father proud - he couldn't die._  
_"Do it."_  
_Whispered words from the weak boy was all she got and all she needed. The witch nodded and pushed her hand into his chest. He screamed, biting down hard on his bottom lip, tasting his own blood. Seconds later, the witch held his dark heart in her hands, putting it into a black chest and locking it before giving it to his father. The boy fell on his knees, breathing hard, trying to ignore the pain._  
_"You have to hide it. Keep it safe. If someone attacks the heart, your boy will die. Hide it."_  
_The king nodded and took the chest, looking worriedly to his boy. When his son got up and looked him in the eyes, he froze. He saw nothing in his eyes. They were dull, and the bright blue was gone._

* * *

_8 years later_

Her butt hurt. Badly. This road was the worst, and she didn't want to be here. This carriage was annoying, and she would prefer to take her own horse to ride, but no, it was too dangerous. Yeah, sure. The only thing that could attack her here was a bunny.  
They were on the road since the early morning - since the first sunbeams were out - and she hated it. The sun was going down already, and the night would be here soon. Great. In a dark forest in a crappy carriage in a foreign kingdom. First a long journey with the ship and now in this damn carriage.

"What do you think? How long is it until we're there?"

Her friend and lady raised her head, looking up from her book. Ruby was one of her best friends and the only one that was allowed to come with her. Emma was glad that the other woman was coming with her because she was great. Alone in that big, strange castle with a man she never met before would be awkward. She knew no one in the other kingdom and would probably have no one to talk to.

"I don't know, but I hope we're there soon. Are you excited to meet him?"

Emma wrinkled her nose and tilted her head, shrugging slightly. Excited? No. Nervous? Yes. The arranged marriage was a stupid idea, but she understood why it was necessary. Both kingdoms had their weaknesses, and together they would be strong enough to face the coming war that was boiling up in the west. She did it for her kingdom and her people; her parents were really proud of her, but she wasn't very keen on the marriage. She never met the prince. She only heard stories of him, and they were…well, not very flattering. A womanizer, cruel, and ruthless. Some people even say that he has no heart. Emma didn't know what of that was true or not. She wanted to wait until she met him before she would say anything about him.

"No, not really, I guess. I still don't want to marry him. Hell, I don't even know what he looks like!"

Emma ran her hand through her hair and chewed on her bottom lip until she heard the laugh of Ruby. She raised an eyebrow at the other girl.

"What?"

"Well, I heard he's hot."

The blonde rolled her eyes. Of course Ruby had to say that.

"Maybe he's ugly as hell, and then I'm still stuck with him."

"Oh, come on, try to be positive!"

Emma sighed but nodded slightly. She really hoped it wasn't as bad as she thought because she had no idea how to survive with an ugly asshole for the rest of her life.  
She had basically been preparing for a marriage like this since she was fourteen. And now, six years later, she wasn't ready at all. She was kind of scared, even if she knew she shouldn't be. It was the best for her land, for her people, for her family. She did the right thing.

* * *

"Emma, look! We're here!"

Ruby's voice sounded excited, and she was about to jump up and down. Emma turned around and looked out of the window of the carriage. She could see the big castle, how it came closer and closer. It was an impressive building, and she was sure she would totally get lost in there.  
The carriage stopped and the door opened. A servant held out his hand to help the girls out. Emma got out first, and when she looked up, she saw a few people standing around, watching closely and interested. Then the heavy doors of the castle opened and a few guards came out, followed by the king and his son. She didn't even need to know them, you could clearly tell their positions. The king was wearing his crown, and his son had this arrogant look on his face that only royals wore. Great. He was arrogant.

"Oh, shit, he's hot."

She heard the voice of her friend behind her and next to her ear.

"Shhh, Ruby!"

Emma slapped her friend gently on the arm and waited for the men to come closer. Well, she couldn't really deny that he was handsome. He was tall, and she could see how his muscles moved under his clothes. Scruff on his face, dark hair, blue eyes. She frowned slightly. His eyes were dull instead of bright, and on his face was no smile, just a thin line. Maybe he was just as nervous as she was.

"Princess Emma!"

The king stopped in front of her and bowed slightly, taking her hand to place a kiss on her knuckles. She smiled softly when he straightened himself again and nodded to Ruby.

"I'm happy to welcome you and your lady to my court."

He seemed to be friendly, so that was at least a good thing. His son couldn't be so bad if the king was nice. Well, that's what she hoped.

"Welcome."

His voice was rough when he bowed before her but not caring to take her hand and kiss it like every other man always did. He didn't seem to be keen on being here, and she didn't like the way he was looking at her.  
"Well then, Killian can take it from here. I have some business to do in the throne room. We will see you for dinner tonight."  
The king smiled slightly and walked away, everyone watching him until he was back in the big castle.

"And you are…the princess?"

The prince raised an eyebrow, and she totally didn't like the look on his face, like he was something better than her. She bit her bottom lip slightly and nodded. That question was quite weird; he should know who she was.

"That I am."

He tilted his head slightly and shook his head then, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I guess I'll have to take a mistress then."

Her mouth fell open at his words, and she was extremely confused. A mistress? Why? She didn't even understand and gods, she wanted to slap that look from his face. It wasn't good that she already had violent thoughts against him.

"Excuse me? What does that mean?"

He rolled his eyes, leaning closer to her with a smug grin on his lips.

"Oh, I'm quite sure you know what a mistress is. I'm sure your daddy has a few of them."

He chuckled darkly, and something dangerous sparked in his eyes when he looked at her with this wolfish grin, like she was his prey that he would rip apart, and in that moment, she really felt like that.  
Ruby was about to say something, but Emma just held her hand up to stop her. She would be able to deal with him alone, but before she could say anything he was yelling after some servants.

"Your lady and your baggage will go with my servants. You'll come with me."

He smirked slightly, and Emma shook her head.

"Ruby will come with us."

She could see how he frowned, and it was kind of satisfying. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"You are at my court. You are are my future wife. You should listen to what I say before you or your friend end up in a cell."

What the hell was wrong with him? She wanted to answer, but Ruby put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Emma. I'll visit you later."

With these words, Ruby left with some servants and vanished in a side entrance. The little crowd around them also disappeared and the people went back to work. She was basically alone with this man she already kind of disliked because of his behavior toward her.

"Well then, my dear princess, let me show you the castle."

He held out his arm, but she ignored it, just started to walk towards the entrance. He chuckled slightly before he followed her, and it seemed like it would only be a game for him.

* * *

Two hours. It took them two hours to walk through the whole castle. This building was a monster, and she would probably need a map. He had explained to her a little bit about the castle, but not too much. She didn't get a lot information while they spent the time together.  
They were walking down another hallway, their steps echoing, but then she stopped. He had already walked around the next corner and didn't bother to look back at first. In front of her was a door made out of black wood and it looked…burned?

"Come on, don't waste time."

She heard his impatient words and growled slightly, turning around to face him.

"What's behind there?"

He raised an eyebrow and walked back to her, grabbing her arm.

"Quite nosy, aren't we? But that's none of your business," he said in annoyance and literally pulled her away from the door.

"I can walk on my own!"

"Then do it!"

Maybe it was just her mind playing games with her, but he seemed angry. Just because she stopped in front of that door? It didn't really help to make her curiosity go away. Maybe she could ask a servant later.  
They walked up a few more stairs and through several hallways before he stopped.

"And here is my room, in case you need something."

Emma huffed slightly. Did he really think she would go to him to ask for help or anything? If yes, he was probably the most stupid person ever.

"Great," she just said briefly and rolled her eyes. And he chuckled - again. He obviously had fun with annoying the hell out of her.  
He turned around and walked down the hallway, stopping in front of another door.

"And here is your room."

She blinked a few times at him and then at the door.

"Are you serious?"

"What?"

"My room is almost next to yours!"

"Problem?"

Gods she hated that smug grin on his face. She didn't want to be near him if he kept acting like a dick. His mistress comment still sat in her stomach. She didn't want to think about if her father had one or two. No, that was disgusting, he loved her mother more than anything else.  
She took a deep breath before she turned to him.

"Are you done then? Can I have my peace?"

He laughed and nodded, opening the door for her. Oh, now he wanted to be nice? She growled slightly and walked in, wanting to close the door, but he stopped her.

"I'll come and get you as soon as the dinner is ready."

And of course he didn't let her walk there on her own. Okay, maybe it was good because she would probably need some time to get there on her own, but she wasn't very keen on spending more time with him. Emma nodded slightly, and he let her close the door. She took in another deep breath and looked through the room.  
It was a huge room with a large bed. The sun shone right through her window. A table, a few chairs, a wardrobe…it was basically a normal room just…prettier, and it also seemed to be bigger than her room in her castle.  
She walked towards the window and looked outside and could see the garden. It was beautiful. The flowers, a little pond, and it made her smile, probably for the first time since she was here. Without him around it seemed to be peaceful. His presence made her feel…she didn't even know. She didn't feel safe around him, she didn't feel well in her own skin, and she just wanted to be away from him as long and as far as possible. Of course, it was a stupid thought if she had to marry him, but the king decided when the time was right, and he would probably give her a few weeks to get used to her new home.

She also still had hope that his attitude would change. At the moment, he was mean and rude, no real gentleman like she always imagined a prince. If he wouldn't change, she had no idea what she would do. Maybe steal a horse and try to get home. She missed her family, her parents, her friends, her court. She had a strange feeling when she was here - something wasn't right, and she just couldn't tell what it was.  
Emma sat down on the bed and leaned back until her back hit the soft mattress. She sighed. It was a good feeling to calm down for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to think about nothing, tried to let all the worries go away, to find some peace and silence in being alone. She had to be positive about all this. It was a good thing for her people, for all the innocent people she would protect with this marriage. She understood how important it was to unite the kingdoms, otherwise they would lose the war that was raising in the west, and she just needed to find a way to accept this man at her side. To tolerate him. That couldn't be so hard. He couldn't be as heartless as he seemed, even he needed to care about something.  
A knock pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Please don't be him," she whispered to herself before she got up, fumbling with her dress a bit before she walked over and opened the door. Thank god it wasn't him, but it also wasn't Ruby.

"Hello, my name is Tinkerbell. May I come in?"


	2. Chapter 2

Emma blinked a few times before she took a step back and let the woman in. Blonde hair and a green dress, she wasn't around in the crowd of people earlier.

"So you're Princess Emma, right? I heard you arrived today. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Tink pulled Emma into a brief hug, and she returned the hug after a few seconds of confusion. At least she seemed to be nice and about her age. Did she live in the castle?

"Well, then…Tinkerbell, what can I do for you?"

The other woman giggled slightly and sat down on the large bed, smiling up at Emma who was kind of insecure in the current situation. Gods, she wished Ruby was there.

"I just wanted to tell you that if you have questions or need help, you can come to me. I'm a Lady of the castle, and the king took me in after my father fell in a battle against the ruthless bandits in the woods. I have lived here all my life, and I know that Killian is probably not the right person to talk to about…things."

Well, she was completely right about that. Emma wasn't very fond of the idea of spending any time with Killian right now, even if she knew she had to deal with him during dinner later, but she had hope that he would behave since the king would be there, too.

She walked over to Tinkerbell and sat down next to her on the bed, turning slightly toward her.

"So Emma, how do you like it so far? The castle? The people?"

The princess laughed softly and raised an eyebrow, feeling sympathy for the other woman.

"Do you really mean the castle or just Killian?"

Tink chuckled slightly and smirked, shrugging.

"Both, I guess."

Emma scratched her neck before she bit her lower lip. She felt kind of bad saying something awful about Killian now. Tink must have known him since he was a little boy, so they were probably friends.

"Well, the castle is really amazing. So different from the one of my land. And Killian…well…"

She actually had no words to describe how she felt toward him, but Tink was faster with her answer.

"He can be a pain in the ass, I know."

Emma laughed and nodded; she totally agreed. She hadn't spent much time with him so far, but he didn't seem to care about her and even insulted her father.

Tink sighed slightly and looked at her with an encouraging smile.

"He wasn't always like that, you know. I've known him for years now, and some day something changed. I'm not sure what it was, but I'm convinced he's a good man somewhere inside."

Emma tilted her head to the side and wasn't sure what she should think about that. He seemed arrogant and mean, not much of a good man. She just shrugged a little, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I don't know. I hope his attitude toward me will change if we are to be husband and wife one day."

Tink patted her arm softly and stood up.

"I'll keep my fingers crossed. I have to go now before dinner starts. Remember I'm your friend here."

The blonde winked with a smile and walked toward the door but stopped in front of it.

"Oh, and in case you're looking for Ruby, I met her a few minutes ago in the kitchen."

Emma frowned slightly but nodded. What was her friend doing in the kitchen? Her cooking was horrible, and she was no servant.

"Thank you, it was nice to meet you."

Tink laughed and turned around, opening the door and leaving with a little wave.

But seriously, what was Ruby doing in the kitchen?

Emma groaned before she got up and left her room. She really didn't care about if Killian wanted to pick her up or not - she would find the way on her own…somehow. She would get used to this castle after a while.

The young princess walked down the hallway and was able to find the kitchen after some time. Before she even entered the room, she could hear Ruby's laughter and frowned for a second. This would be the first time that Ruby was happy to be in a kitchen around servants. She entered the kitchen and saw her friend leaning against a table with an apple in hand, talking to a man. Of course, a man. While everyone around them was working to make the royal dinner, she was flirting.

"Ruby!"

The other woman looked beside the man in front of her and waved slightly.

"Emma, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you!"

Emma walked closer and looked up to the stranger. Short blond hair and not in the clothes of a servant. She raised an eyebrow and Ruby started to laugh.

"I'm sorry. This is Victor. He's a guard. Victor, that's Emma, the princess."

His eyebrows rose, and he bowed, taking her hand and placing a kiss on it.

"Nice to meet you, Mylady."

Emma smiled and looked back to Ruby.

"Why isn't Killian like that?"

She laughed softly and could also hear the laughter of Victor.

"I guess he isn't what you expected, your highness?" he asked her with a knowing smile on his lips.

Of course, he knew Killian when he was a guard around here. Emma just nodded slightly and took a deep breath.

Before she could say anything, a woman approached them, smiling shyly.

"The dinner is almost finished, Mylady. You might want to go upstairs into the dining hall."

"Oh. Thank you, of course!"

Now, when she thought about all the food, she was really hungry. She looked to Ruby with a slightly lost look on her face before she could hear the voice of the guard again.

"I can guide you if you want, Mylady."

Emma hadn't even had the choice to answer because Ruby already nodded and grabbed her hand, following Victor out of the kitchen.

Great. Ruby already had a gentleman who she could flirt with, and she was literally trapped with this asshole of a prince. She really hadn't pictured her time here like this. The first day was almost over, and she already had the need to scream. She should just get a horse and ride to the coast, take a ship, and sail back home. But that would be really selfish and not how her parents raised her.

* * *

She didn't want to say this was the worst royal dinner she ever went to, but yes, it actually was the worst royal dinner. The first thing was that Killian didn't even bother to go. They sat there for around two hours, and he wasn't even there for five minutes. When the king sent his guards out to drag him out of his room, they came back and told him he wasn't even there. Actually, he wasn't around at all. They looked through the whole castle but weren't able to find him.

The second thing was that the king was called into the throne room because of an incident. He basically left her alone because he had to make some important decisions. So she sat there for an hour with Ruby and Tinkerbell while they ate and talked by themselves.

It was more of a meeting of friends than a royal dinner where she learned more about her future husband. They didn't talk a lot about Killian. Tink told them about the beautiful nature around the castle and the town, the deep woods, and the magic that was out there. Emma wasn't really a fan of magic. She knew it was out there, but most people had long forgotten that it was there. Many years ago, magic was present; she knew the old stories but now? People denied it was there because they were afraid. She never saw real magic, and she wasn't very keen on seeing it. Sure, magic could be something beautiful, but it could be dangerous, too.

Emma sighed while she walked slowly through the hallway of the castle on her way outside. It was night, almost everyone was asleep, but she needed some fresh air. She needed to think, to surpress her homesickness. Gods, she wished she could be with her parents right now but no, of course not. Why did she even agree to that marriage? She wasn't so sure if it was the right thing anymore.

The warm summer air surrounded her as soon as she stepped outside into the garden, a soft smile on her lips. No matter how scary this place could be, the garden was beautiful.

She was about to sit down on one of the benches when she heard rustling, and she jerked around, only to see Killian directly in front of her. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow while her chest moved heavily.

"You almost scared me to death!" she said, still in shock and glaring at him, but he just shrugged.

"You shouldn't be out here at this time of night anyway, love."

She rolled her eyes. Now he wanted to tell her what's good and what's bad for her? Besides that, she hated when he called her 'love'.

"You're out here too."

He chuckled and leaned closer.

"Well, my dear princess, I just came back from town and have a reason to be here."

Emma frowned slightly and took a step back, just to be sure. She looked up and down his body. He wasn't dressed like a prince, more like an ordinary man.

"What were you doing in town?"

Killian laughed and took a step closer, invading her personal space.

"You know, visiting the town can be fun if no one recognizes you…if you know what I mean."

There it was again. That wolfish grin. She never knew what was going on in his head, even if she could read people easily. But he was so hard to read.

"That's disgusting."

He placed his hand over his heart and acted like he was wounded.

"Oh, love, a man has needs, you can't blame me for that!"

He raised his hand and wanted to slide his fingers down her cheek, but she took another step back, and he growled in annoyance.

She chewed on her bottom lip and looked him over again before she took a deep breath.

"You were missed during the dinner."

"Oh, I know that. The guards searched the town, but I wasn't in the mood to spend time at a boring dinner."

Killian shrugged and turned around.

"We were supposed to get to know each other" she said, and he looked back over his shoulder.

"I know you, love. You're an open book to me."

With that, he turned his head back and started to walk back into the castle.

Emma snorted. Open book. He knew nothing about her. She was here for a day, and he had barely spent any time with her. The only thing she learned was that she didn't like him. Her gut told her that he was bad news, and she could always trust her gut. Even Ruby didn't like him, and Ruby normally liked every handsome man.

The young princess shook her head and took one last deep breath of the fresh air before she also walked inside slowly, hoping he was long gone and she wouldn't run into him. She had had enough of him for today, and she just wanted to go to bed and sleep peacefully. They would probably spend time together tomorrow after he missed the dinner and the chance to get to know her, even if she wasn't very keen on spending time with him. He would probably keep being an arrogant bastard with snarky comments, and she swore to god, if he tried to touch her, she would cut his hand off. She wasn't a person who liked to be touched by a stranger, and that was exactly what he was. A stranger. Not her future husband, a friend, or a prince. He was just a stranger.

* * *

The sun was rising and painted her room in a wonderful light. She was a awake, kind of. She knew the sun shone onto her face, and she knew she should probably get up, but she really didn't want to. Her bed was so comfortable, and she had never expected that she would be able to sleep so well in here. She had needed a while to fall asleep, but after that, she had a dreamless sleep.

She smiled slightly and turned around, eyes still closed, and she was about to fall asleep again when she heard someone clear their throat. Within seconds she sat up straight in bed, her whole body covered with the blanket up to her chin and her eyes wide open when she saw who was in her room. While she had been asleep.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" she yelled at him, her heart beating fast in her chest.

She didn't want to know how long he had been here. There in that chair, just watching her. Gods, what was wrong with him?!

And he just chuckled, again. She closed her eyes, trying to control her temper. When she opened them again, she had hoped he would have gone but no, he still sat there, his head slightly tilted with a smug grin on his lips while he watched her.

"Killian! Get out of here! I'm not dressed!"

She literally growled at him but he just leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs.

"You're not naked either, so stop freaking out."

Was he serious? She had the need to get up and slap him across the face, but she didn't want him to see her in barely any clothes.

"So what? You were sneaking around in my room and decided to watch me?"

He laughed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair with something in his eyes that she never saw before, but she also couldn't tell what it meant.

"Actually, I waited for you to wake up. Then your breathing changed, and I thought I could give you a hint that I was here."

She hated him. She hated him, hated him, hated him.

"Oh, and knocking at the door wasn't an option? Like a normal person?"

He shrugged and got up from his chair, walking closer to her bed, and she slid farther away from him to the other side of the bed.

"Get dressed, go eat something, and I'll see you in a hour at the stables. We're going for a ride."

She blinked a few times and didn't really understand, but before she could say something, he was already out of the room. He watched her sleeping to tell her they were going on a ride? She had no words for that. She never met a man like him, so arrogant, smug, and…creepy. Yes, that he was. Creepy. And one day, she had to marry him. Gods, she wished she never agreed to coming here.

The thing that was freaking her out was that she couldn't read him at all. She didn't know what was going on in his head; she didn't know what he was capable of. Right now, she believed he could do anything. Okay well, maybe not murder someone or anything, but he was very high on the creep level.

As soon as she calmed down a bit, she rested her head back onto the pillow and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She never expected that her visit here would be like this. She would love to be able to think positive about this ride. That they would go into the woods and have a nice time talking and that they could laugh together, but from what she saw of him and the way he acted, she didn't really believe that this was possible at all.

Emma finally got out of bed a few moments later and got ready for the day. Before she could leave the room, she heard a knock, and Ruby came in with a tray in her hands. A smile was on her lips while she walked over and placed the tray on the table.

"Look what I got! I thought we'd have breakfast here. You know, lady talk," Ruby said with a smirk on her lips and sat down in one of the chairs. Emma did the same and reached forward to grab some bread.

"Killian wants to go on a ride with me today," she said, her voice rather low, and Ruby immediately knew that her friend wasn't very excited about that.

"And?"

"And I think it will be as bad as the dinner."

Ruby laughed and took a bite, swallowing it before she continued talking.

"I doubt that because at least he will be there on your date."

Emma groaned and shook her head.

"It's not a date, Ruby!"

No. No, it was not a date. They were just going out on a ride, nothing more. He wasn't romantic, he wouldn't go on a date with her. He was probably only doing this because his father told him to. She didn't even want a date with him.

"He would rather ride with me in the woods and drown me in a river."

Ruby snorted and shook her head with a giggle.

"I highly doubt that."

Emma grinned and took a bite from her bread.

"Well, it could be."

They laughed for a while before a knock interrupted them.

"Come in."

The women looked to the door and waited until a guard walked in. Well, not just a guard, and Emma could see how Ruby began to blush, and a smile came up on her lips.

"Princess Emma. Prince Killian wants you down at the stables."

The blonde groaned slightly and rolled her eyes. The hour wasn't over, and he was already putting pressure on her.

"Fine, tell him I'm coming."

Victor bit his bottom lip and coughed.

"He wants you there now."

She sighed and nodded, getting up from her chair as she ate the last bite of her bread.

"Alright, let me change into my riding clothes, and then I'll come with you."

As soon as he was outside, Emma ran her hand through her hair and looked to Ruby who was still smiling at the door.

"Ruby! I have a problem here, stop acting like a young, lovesick girl!"

"Ugh, sorry!"

Ruby got up and helped Emma with her clothes until she was ready.

"Well, if he thinks you're not hot in these tight riding clothes, something is really wrong with him," said Ruby with a giggle, and Emma smirked slightly while rolling her eyes.

"He would never tell me that. He probably won't even look at me."

"You will survive, honey."

Ruby hugged her before she left her room while Emma checked again if she had everything she needed.

After she was sure, she headed down to the stables, trying to remember the way. To her own surprise, it didn't take long until she was there, and she could already see the two horses outside. Killian was sitting on a hay bail, playing with an arrow in his hand. As much as she didn't like him, he kind of looked handsome while he sat there in his dark riding clothes playing with that arrow. Oh, god. Did she just think he was handsome?

When she walked closer to him, he finally looked up with nothing on his face. No smile, his lips were in a thin line, and there was only emptiness in his eyes.

"Ah, I see. The princess finally got out of bed. What a surprise."

She rolled her eyes and stroked one of the horses briefly before she looked to him.

"Well, it took me a while to recover from an unwanted guest," she said with an innocent but annoyed smile.

He laughed and got up, putting the arrow back into the quiver.

"Why the weapons?"

Emma frowned a little while she looked to the bow and arrow, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Don't think the woods are safe, love. There are dangerous things behind every corner."

She knew he was going to kill her down there! And Ruby didn't believe her! He could basically just shoot an arrow through her or really drown her or just tie her up and let her starve, and no one would know because their beloved prince wouldn't do such a thing! She was so screwed.

Emma didn't say anything and just walked around the horse to get up in one swift movement. She loved riding, and she missed her own horse she had at home.

"Keira," he said while he got on his own horse, a black one, probably as black as his soul.

"What?"

"The name of the horse. Keira."

"Oh."

She smiled slightly, patted the neck of the horse, and almost missed the fact that he had already started to ride. After a quick movement of her feet, her horse started to walk, following the black one in front of her. So that would be their ride? He would ride in front of her, not talking to her until he was able to kill her? Wonderful.

* * *

She had lost track of time but they were in the woods for too long. He barely talked to her, ignored her most of the time, and all the attempts to talk to him were suffocated by him. He didn't want to talk to her and mostly rode in front of her to avoid eye contact. The more time passed, the more pissed she became. He had no right to treat her like that - she didn't do anything wrong!

When his horse became slower and slower, she decided to just pass by him. She ignored his slightly confused look after she just kept riding, and after a few seconds, she heard how he was following her.

"What do you think you're doing?", he asked her while he was next to her.

"Oh, now you're talking to me? Don't like it when I don't follow your lead, hm?"

Yes, she was pissed, and no, she didn't want to do what he said anymore.

He growled and looked around before he looked back to her.

"We can't go any further."

She rolled her eyes and ignored him, just kept riding. It looked like the woods became slightly darker, more trees but also more wonderful flowers. She always loved nature, and she really liked the forest around here. She had seen a few animals earlier, rabbits and deers, and the birds were singing their songs. It made her smile. It could have been a good ride if he wasn't there.

As long as he was there, she felt this dangerous atmosphere that came from him, and she didn't feel safe.

"Emma. Stop."

His voice was low and kind of threatening, but she didn't even look at him. She just kept riding, trying to make a point that he had no right to treat her like a servant.

"Emma!" he literally yelled at her and had already stopped, but she didn't turn around at all.

She was smiling because it was satisfying that he was obviously annoyed by her right now. But she would learn that it was a mistake to ignore him like that.

Only seconds later, an arrow hit the tree right next to her, her face only inches away from it. The horse neighed and almost threw her off, but she was able to calm the animal down before she hit the ground. With a glare, she turned around and saw him there with his bow still in his hand.

"What the hell?! Are you trying to kill me?!" she yelled at him, and the birds stopped singing, some of them even left the trees. He put the bow back and rode towards her, grabbing her arm.

"We go back. Now."

There was something in his voice that she hadn't heard before, and she didn't like it. She looked at his hand before she jerked her arm back out of his grip.

Without another word, she turned her horse around and rode back the way they came from. Killian looked behind him where the forest became lighter and the nature was more green than usual. He gritted his teeth before he clapped the spurs to his horse and followed Emma back to the castle.

* * *

Emma jumped from her horse and tied it to the stake quickly before he could catch her, but of course, he was faster than she expected. He grabbed her arm and turned her around so she was facing him.

"What?" she said with a growl. She didn't want to be near him anymore.  
He almost shot her! With an arrow in the middle of the woods!

"Don't be like that now."

"Like what? Pissed because you almost shot me? You could have killed me!"

He laughed, and the anger boiled up in her even more. The thought of her being dead was obviously quite funny to him. She could feel how his grip tightened around her arm, and she grimaced in pain.

"You're hurting me."

"Oh, don't worry, I know. I just want you to understand something. If I had intended to kill you, the arrow wouldn't have missed you. I'm the best archer in the realm. Killing you would be easy, so you better learn to listen to me."

A dark and wolfish grin settled on his lips while he gripped her tighter again, and she closed her eyes in pain.  
Then he was gone. The grip was gone, and she took a breath, opened her eyes, and turned around so she could see him walking away. She clenched her hand into a fist, trying to calm down. Something was wrong with him; that couldn't be normal.

Emma shoved her sleeve up and saw the red handprints on her upper arm and hoped it wouldn't leave bruises. She had no desire to explain to someone where they came from. With a soft sigh, she followed him inside, just wanting to be alone for a moment, but a servant caught her attention. He literally ran in the direction of Killian and stopped him.

She frowned and her steps became faster until she was behind Killian. The servant looked to her, then back to the prince. She could see how tight he gripped his bow, his knuckles white.

"What's going on?" she asked, slightly worried.

The male servant went away, and Killian turned around, looking at her.

"An incident in the woods."

She rolled her eyes. He was just as specific as always. It wouldn't hurt him to tell her more.

"What kind of incident?"

Killian closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"They found dead bodies of children with their hearts ripped out."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma widened her eyes in shock. Dead children without their hearts? In the middle of the woods? That was…no. Just no. It made her sick to her stomach to think about innocent children. Who would do such thing? She wanted to ask him if it was true, but the look on his face showed her everything. It was true.  
She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath before she looked back at Killian.

"Who would do that? Why? I mean-"

Her breath got stuck in her throat when she saw the look on his face. Dark and dangerous, more than before. She didn't even want to know what he was thinking about because it couldn't be good. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She watched him closely.

"I don't know but I'll go and try to find out."

Emma nodded. At least he seemed to care enough about that. She saw how Victor and some other guards came up behind him. She was quite curious about what happened but dead children…she didn't know if she could handle it. She had seen a dead body, once, when she was younger. But a child was something different than a man who had wanted to attack her.

Killian just started walking, without another word, back to his horse. He literally jumped back on the horse and waited for the guards to get ready before she saw them riding back into the woods with the loud clopping of the horses playing them out.

She swallowed hard and shook her head, trying to get the pictures out of her mind before she headed back into the castle. She had to talk to Ruby or Tinkerbell. Maybe they knew more than she did.

* * *

Killian slowed his horse down and could smell the scent of death all around this place. He raised a hand to tell his guards to stop before he got down from his horse carefully, giving the reins to one of the guards and then taking his bow. He walked forward slowly, looking around as if someone was going to attack them at any moment.

Then, he could see them. All the bodies of children. All dead, none of them breathing, and they had their chests open. He walked closer and looked down to one kid. The face showed the pain, the chest was wide open, and he could see that no heart was in there. The blood was already dry. How long have they been here? How much time had passed by since someone murdered all of these innocent children?

He looked around and tried to count, but he stopped when he was at fifteen. He didn't want to know how many bodies were buried under others. His guards would count them later.  
The closer he walked to the center of the bodies, the more his breath stuck in his throat, and he needed to stop for a second, closing his eyes. His hand moved to his chest where his heart once was, and he fisted the material of his shirt, biting his bottom lip hard.

A pain was shooting through his body, and he had a problem standing straight, but he wouldn't show weakness in front of his men. It took a long second until he had control back. It wasn't supposed to hurt. There was nothing in his chest, and he hated that it hurt. He hated that the only thing he felt was pain and in moments like this, every breath hurt, and he always thought he was one second away from falling into madness. There was a reason that it hurt right now. He knew it. It was his fault.

"Count the bodies. Take them back to the castle somehow before their parents start to complain they never got a funeral for their brats."

His guards nodded and walked around the bodies while he sat down on a stone near them. It made sense, in a way. But why so many hearts? Why children? They could just have killed adults, people no one would miss. It would have been easier. But then again, it would spread the fear and fear was poison for a kingdom.

Killian growled and ran his hand through his air, stood up again, and walked around the bodies. His chest ached, and he wanted to scream. He needed to get out of here as soon as possible. He went toward Victor and was about to tell him he had the command now, but then he heard a noise. Rustling in one of the bushes.

In one swift movement, he took his bow and an arrow, aiming and frowning. Victor had also drawn his sword out, holding it up. After a few seconds, a little head looked out from the bush, and the prince lowered his weapon, putting the arrow back and hanging the bow over his shoulder.

"Killian!"

The little boy ran toward him, right into his arms. He threw his arms around his neck, and the man lifted him up carefully in case the boy was hurt.

"What are you doing here, Roland? Are you hurt?"

The dark-haired boy shook his head fast, and Killian let out a deep breath. At least he wasn't hurt. Had he been able to run away before the person who did this could hurt him? Was he supposed to be one of the victims?

"Do you know what happened here?"

Roland shook his head again, clinging to the prince like his life depended on it. He knew something. He had seen something. Killian knew the look in the eyes of the boy. A long time ago, he had seen this look of fear in the mirror.

"He took us. A hooded man. He didn't speak."

Killian could hear in his voice how afraid he still was. He walked back to the horse, placing the kid on the back of the animal, looking at him to check for injuries even if he had said he was fine.

"I ran…am I a coward, Killian?"

The prince smiled slightly and shook his head, tousling the hair of the kid, trying to calm him down.

"Sometimes it's better to run, especially at your age."

Roland started to smile and looked around to the guards and the dead children, and his smile faded as he started to look sad.

"Can you bring me to my Papa?"

Killian nodded. He would bring the boy to the castle and inform his father that he was found. The boy was apparently the only survivor of this massacre, and he was so glad that he hadn't to explain to his father why his boy was dead. It wouldn't be easy to explain to an old…'friend' that their son was dead.

"Victor! Take care of the situation. I'll bring Roland back to the castle."

The guard nodded and turned around, giving orders to the other men on how to deal with the bodies while Killian got back on his horse behind Roland.

"Hold on tight, lad. We're in a hurry."

* * *

Emma stood in the large throne room with Tinkerbell and Ruby, watching the overanxious people running around and talking loudly while they waited for the king. The rumor of dead children in the woods spread faster than she thought, and soon the parents of the missing kids had appeared. They wanted an audience, but Emma knew the king was still together with his council, debating about what they should do and what was true about all the rumors. She literally had heard everything from rituals to a serial killer, and she had no idea what she should believe.

"The prince is back!"

The loud voice of a farmer ripped her out of her thoughts. He stood at a window and looked outside. Emma and the other two girls went over to him, and she tilted her head slightly. He had a boy in his arms, but he didn't look wounded. The guards tried to calm the worried parents down while Emma watched Killian come inside.

A few minutes later, he appeared with the boy in his arms and came to them. He looked around while he put Roland down before he put his tongue against his cheek, growling.

"Where's my father?" he asked Tinkerbell, and she told him that he was with his council. Killian rolled his eyes and wanted to turn around, but Roland stopped him, the little hand holding his big one. The prince raised an eyebrow before he hunkered down and looked at the boy, letting go of the hand.  
"Stay with the girls. I'll get your father. You're safe now, lad."  
With these words, he turned around and left them. Emma huffed slightly. He had ignored her again, but it should be fine in this extreme situation.

"Roland? I didn't know you and your father were here!"  
Tinkerbell pulled the little boy to her body and hugged him. You could see that he was still afraid, and it wasn't helping that he had all the nosy eyes on him, looking at him like he was some circus attraction.  
Emma wanted to ask him how he had survived, but because of his state, she thought it would be better to leave him alone so he could calm down. But Killian had this boy by his side when he came back, so he had to be one of the kids. She swallowed slightly, and it looked like he was the only survivor. She felt sorry for all the other parents.

"Make some room for the king!"

The guard yelled through the room, and the people walked toward the walls, making space for Killian, the king, and some other guards. The room became silent. You could only hear some whispering, but no one wanted to disrespect the king.  
Emma raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. The king looked tired -his face was kind of pale, and he didn't look good. What had they talked about that made him look like this?

"Papa!"

Roland had turned around and ran toward one of the men she never saw. He broke the silence of the room with his one simple word that said so much. You could hear how happy he was to see his father, how happy he was to be reunited with him.

"Roland!"

He grabbed the boy, obviously his son, and took him into his arms, hugging him while the boy threw his arms around his neck, pressing himself close to him. Emma smiled softly. The man must have went through hell, thinking his son was dead.

"Killian saved me!" Roland said joyfully and Emma raised an eyebrow. She wouldn't have expected that this idiot of a prince had a soft side for kids. She looked around for him and saw that he had just walked around a corner. She apologized to Ruby and Tinkerbell and followed him. Even if he was a dick to her, he obviously had a heart for kids, and that was a plus. They needed to have kids some day, too, and no matter how much she loved children, she didn't want some of her own for a long time. Until she accepted that it was basically her fate. But with him…? She wasn't so sure if she liked that.

"Killian, wait!"

They were in a lonely hallway, far enough away from the throne room, when she was able to stop him. He growled and turned around, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow at her, his face hard and serious.

"What now?"

She stopped in front of him with a teasing smile on her face, and she could see how much it irritated him because she had probably never looked at him like that before.

"I never knew you had such a soft spot for kids," she said and chuckled briefly, watching his reaction. He huffed and shook his head.

"You're ridiculous. I don't have a soft spot for kids at all, love."

"Well the boy quite liked you."

"Because he grew up in the castle while his father taught me archery."

Emma frowned before she remembered when he told her that he was the best archer in the land. So the man she saw before had been his teacher. Well, she was obviously getting to know him, step by step. Baby steps. Very, very small steps but better than nothing.

"But you do care for him. You saved him."

He laughed and took a step toward her, invading her personal space with a wolfish grin on his face again. It made her swallow slightly, but she didn't back off this time.

"I don't care for anyone, lass. Only for myself."

She looked him in the eyes, she was good at knowing when someone lied, but he…he didn't show any signs of lying. So he was either a damn good liar or he really only cared for himself.

"That's sad."

Emma shook her head, and he raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth like he wanted to say something, but then he just shook his head again, taking a step back like he wanted to turn around, but she grabbed his arm. His gaze fell on her hand, then back on her face.

"What happened out there?"

He gritted his teeth and looked away for a moment like he had to think about what he could tell her. She tilted her head and let go of his arm.

"Roland was the only one who had survived. All the other children are dead, maybe three dozen. The guards are still counting them. They'll bring them here to the castle for a funeral, even if I would prefer if we just could burn them instead of having crying parents around."

The prince shrugged and smirked before he turned around and left her.

He confused her. Sometimes it sounded like he cared, then he acted like he didn't, and he wasn't lying to her in that way. Sometimes he talked to her, sometimes he ignored her, sometimes he just left her. She had so many questions about who or what did this, but he was already gone, and she sighed. No one had treated her like that before, and it was hard to get used to it.

* * *

The castle had became quiet again after the sad and shocked families had left. They were devastated and Emma totally understood that. They just lost their kids, the thing they loved most in the world, and they didn't even know for what reason. The king didn't share the details with the hearts, he just told them they were murdered by an unknown person or group. She didn't want to imagine the pain the parents were in right now.

She wandered through the castle like every evening after dinner. It was quiet and not hectic. She really liked this state since she had no real place where she felt comfortable. Sure, she had her room, but it didn't feel like home, and Ruby was busy with Victor, walking through the garden, and she didn't want to interrupt them. Tinkerbell was out of the castle for the evening and would return later, so she was basically alone. And hell, she wouldn't go to Killian for some company.

Emma shook her head before she heard some yelling. She raised an eyebrow and recognized the voice. Killian. She followed the noises and stopped in front of the royal chambers where the king lived. She swallowed and wanted to keep going when Killian caught her attention once more.

"He's back!"

She heard something shatter, maybe a vase. It sounded a lot like glass. Gods, she should feel so bad about eavesdropping, but it sounded important, and he was so angry. But who did he mean? Who was back?

"He was in our territory! I don't want him here!"

She frowned and didn't really understand what the king was saying, but it sounded like he wanted to calm his son down before he broke more things. She pressed herself closer against the wall, hoping no guards would catch her, trying to hear more. She shouldn't do it, she really shouldn't - she was a princess, not a spy.

"I have to protect my land!"

Emma chuckled slightly, so much for not caring about things and only about himself. It seemed like he cared at least a bit about the people. He should, he would be their king one day, and they should like him before they start a revolution and kill him.

"You don't even care about it or the people!"

The angry voice of the king made her grin fade. She had never heard him like that. Then, she heard a laugh from Killian, but it was a bitter one, an angry one, not full of joy. Then he growled, and another thing shattered.

"But I do care about my power, father."

He literally spit the word 'father' out, and Emma swallowed. If he caught her now, she knew she would be in trouble. He was mad, really mad. She didn't need to see him to know that.  
Then she heard some mumbling - something about the burned wing of the castle. She took a deep breath and held it when she heard someone coming to the door with fast steps. With her back pressed against the cold brick wall, she waited. It was Killian, storming out of the room.

"I want guards there! I don't care if it looks important then, but double the guards!"

He yelled back at his father while he stormed off, and Emma frowned. What was so important about that burned wing that he would need guards there? She decided to follow him quietly. She waited until he walked around the corner and followed him. She had only been there for a brief period of time, but she knew the way he was walking. He walked right to the burned wing, and she thought about it more often lately. It was weird to her, and it never left her mind.

When she walked around a corner, he was gone, and the big black door fell into the lock. She cursed in her head and walked quickly toward it, trying to open it, but it was locked. Damn. Now, she was even more curious what was so special about this burned wing and what happened there. No one had given her an answer so far.

Emma bit her bottom lip and looked at the closed door before he smirked and turned on her heels. She walked right toward the room of Tinkerbell. She should be back by now, and if not, she would wait. Tink had to know what happened there.

* * *

**A/N: I wanted to say thank you all so much for reading and reviewing the fic, it means a lot to me! I'm so glad you're enjoying this. I also got a review that says that it's kind of unusual that Emma uses swearing words and before everyone wonders about it, I wanted to say: There's a reason why she likes to do it~**


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Regarding to the end of the chapter, don't forget this is dark!Killian so we don't get all the unicorns and rainbow stickers~_

* * *

Emma arrived at the door of her new friend and knocked a few times, waiting for a simple 'come in' before she opened the door and walked inside. She looked around a little - the room was similiar to hers just more…comfortable. It looked more like a home than hers, but it was no surprise since Tink had lived there for quite a while now. When she spotted the blonde woman, she smiled and walked over to her, sitting down in the chair next to her.

"Emma! What can I do for you?"

She smiled slightly; Tink was probably the only person, besides the servants, who was nice to her here. Well, and Ruby, of course. But Killian wasn't very nice or gentleman like, and she barely saw the king. The guards didn't talk with her, and the servants only said something because it was their job. Ruby spent time with Victor, and she was sure that both of them already had a thing. Lucky her.

"I…well, I have a question."

Tink raised an eyebrow and turned her chair around so that she could look at Emma with a smirk.

"Of course! Ask me anything you want."

Emma laughed a little because she seemed to be excited. She scratched her neck for a moment and thought about what she could say.

"It's about the burned wing of the castle with the big black door that seems to be locked all the time. What happened there? Why is it locked?"

From one second to then next, Tinkerbell's face changed, and she looked down at her lap for a moment before she raised her gaze again. She ran her hand over her face, and Emma watched her closely, not quite sure if it was so smart to ask the question.

"You don't have to answer!" Emma added quickly, afraid that she could have made Tink feel uncomfortable with her question, and she didn't want that.

"No, it's fine. It's just something we normally don't talk about because it's a tragedy."

Tink shrugged, and Emma tilted her head. A tragedy? What kind of a tragedy? She didn't want to ask, not sure if her friend would tell her something about it or not, but when the other woman shifted, Emma knew she was going to get her answers.

"It's been a few years ago, I think…maybe six? I'm not sure anymore. It was in the middle of the night when the fire started in the queen's room. No one noticed at first, so it spread very fast, and in the end, the whole wing burned down before they could stop the fire. The queen and a few servants died, and people say it was a spy from the crown's enemies who set up the fire. No one ever enters that part of the castle since the fire, not really."

Tink's voice was kind of quiet while she spoke, and she sounded sad, looking to the ground a few times. Emma listened to her, and the more she heard, the more she widened her eyes. Is that why Killian went there? Because his mother died in there? So maybe he talked to her now and then when no one was around, when he felt safe? Maybe he was only able to let his walls down then? It would at least mean that he was just broken and not mean.  
Emma smiled sadly before she bit her bottom lip.

"Is that the reason why Killian is how he is? Because his mother died in there?"

Tinkerbell raised an eyebrow and shook her head a few times with a wry smile on her face.

"She wasn't his mother, she was the new wife of the king. Killian's mother died at his birth," she told her and ran her hand through her hair, trying to avoid Emma's look.

The princess frowned and sighed. She figured that Killian was probably just a broken man who grew up without a mother and lost his second one after the king married again. But that didn't make it easier. How could she be mad at him now when he would just be rude to her again? She felt bad for him right now. She never lost someone like that. Not one of her loved one's died, and she couldn't imagine how horrible it had to be for him.

"But why are you asking?"

She heard Tink's voice and raised her head again, pushing her thoughts aside. Why was she asking? What should she tell her now? Emma sighed and shook her head slightly, biting her bottom lip. She felt bad for spying on him and for eavesdropping, for asking another person what was going on.

"It's just that…well, I saw Killian going in there, and it made no sense."

Tinkerbell frowned and gritted her teeth slightly, biting the inside of her cheek before she shrugged. Obviously, she didn't have an answer either.

"I really don't know why he would do that, but stay away from him. He doesn't like it when you try to spy on him," she said with a soft laugh and got up from her chair, walking to the door. Emma followed her. Both women knew the conversation was over.

"Thank you, Tink."

"No problem."

Both smiled before Emma left the room and walked toward her own. She knew she should probably get some sleep, but she was even more curious about what Killian was doing in that burned wing.

* * *

She couldn't sleep. She still had her clothes on because she couldn't stop thinking about what Tinkerbell told her and what she heard from Killian and the king. While she lay on her bed, everything went through her head again. The fire, the request for more guards in front of the door even when there was supposed to be nothing. Why did he go there? What was so special about a burned wing if no one entered it after it had burned down?

Emma closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Damn her, she needed to know. It was in the middle of the night, the full moon was up and shone into her room, the sky was literally awake, and she couldn't sleep. Everyone in the castle was probably asleep except for the guards, and on her way back, none of them were in front of the burned door. She needed to know.

After a few moments, she got up and fumbled with her dress before she made her way outside and down the hall to the door. On her way she looked around to make sure no one was there. She didn't want anyone to see her sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night. She was way too nosy, and she knew it, but how was she supposed to live here and marry Killian when she had no idea what was going on? She was suspucious of many things since she was a kid, she barely trusted anyone. It did get better, of course, but sometimes, her gut told her not to leave a thing alone until she knew what was going on. And this right now was such a 'thing'. She didn't trust Killian anyway, and now that he was acting so weird, she wasn't going to be able to sleep peacefully.

She walked down the empty hallway until she could see the door to the burned wing. She stepped closer and swallowed, grabbing the door handle, she tried to open it and…it wasn't locked. Emma frowned and bit her bottom lip before she walked through the door. The last time Killian was inside of here it was locked. Did this mean he wasn't here? Did he just forget to lock it up again? She had to be careful if she wanted to figure out what was going on in there.

As soon as she walked a few steps, she could smell the scent of burned wood. Dust was everywhere, some doors were broken and open, but nothing was inside. Grime covered the ground and spiders had put their cobwebs in all the corners. A shiver ran through her body; it was such a strange place and didn't compare to the rest of the castle. She actually loved this place - the castle was an impressive building and the garden was wonderful, but this here? No, this didn't fit.

A crack behind her had her jerking around, but nothing was there. She let out a deep breath before she continuing to walk slowly and in silence until she stopped in front of the last door. It wasn't burned or broken, not like all the others. She tried to look out of the window, but the dust and grime made it impossible, and she wasn't very keen on rubbing her dress against the glass to see something.

She shouldn't be here, she knew that. She should be in her bed, sleeping and not thinking about this part of the castle, but she couldn't help it. Gods, she felt like she was betraying someone, but maybe she would figure out why he was the way he was. Why he acted like that, why he talked like that. Maybe someone had broken his heart before and that's why he had his walls up? She knew the feeling, and that why she wouldn't be surprised.

The princess took a deep breath and opened the door, afraid of what might await her, but as soon as the door was open she frowned. The room was completely fine, no burned furniture. It seemed to be untouched by the fire. The brightness of the full moon shone into the room and illuminated it so she could see everything. Only a little bit of dust here and there on the things in the room, but besides that, it seemed to be fine. How was that even possible? Tink told her the whole wing burned down, and now she found a room where the furniture was still there, where the door wasn't burned, and where it looked like someone had been inside?

Someone meaning Killian. She swallowed. What would he do in here? It's not like he hadn't his own room that was probably way more comfortable than this one. It was kind of a big room with a bed, chairs, a table, and a few other things around. It almost looked like someone would be able to live in there if not for the dust.

She walked farther into the room and looked around until she found some old paintings leaned against a wall. She squatted down and took one of them in her hands. She was able to see the king and two boys. One had slightly curly hair, and the other one reminded her of Killian in a way, but they all looked similiar to each other. Did he have a brother? But if yes, why hadn't she met him? Or was he-

Another painting caught her attention, and she put the one in her hands back. The other one was larger and had a woman on it. She looked beautiful. Long brown hair and blue eyes, a smile on her face, and a crown on her head. Was this the queen? The first one? She looked a lot like Killian, actually. So maybe this was his mother, and because she died, they put her painting inside of here, trying to forget the painful memories? But that didn't explain what happened to his brother.

She really hated it when she didn't know what was going on. It drove her crazy. With a huff, she stood up again and walked over to the bookshelf. While she read the books that were there, she noticed that there was no dust in some places, like someone had removed the books. What the hell was Killian doing in here with old books? Probably just being creepy and mysterious because there was nothing else in this room. It was just an old room with a few old paintings as a reminder of the past. She sighed and was about to turn around when another door caught her attention. Had it been there before?

Emma shook her head and walked toward it. Some people wouldn't notice it because it was kind of hidden behind the shelf. She had been able to see it because the moonlight shone directly on the doorknob, and the sparkle had caught her attention. She looked at the door, not quite sure what she should think about it. A hidden door. In a room that was in a burned wing. Sounded great, eh? But she couldn't stop herself and reached forward. She had to know.

Her hand touched the cold doorknob. She was about to turn it to open the door, but something stopped her. Cold steal on her throat, a presence behind her. She swallowed hard and could feel the sharp blade on her skin. Another body was right behind her, and she held her breath, didn't dare to breathe or to turn her head. She let her hand sink down again and bit her bottom lip. The heavy breathing behind her wasn't very calming either. Did someone see her come inside? Did he follow her? Her gut told her it was a man, and she should be right about it.

"You shouldn't be here, princess," said a deep and dark voice right behind her. She swallowed.  
Killian? Her eyes widened, and she felt him creep closer, pressing his body against hers from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her against him, his blade still on her throat. Why would he do that? Did he follow her, or had he been here before?

"What are you doing?"

She stopped when he pressed the blade further into her skin, not breaking it, not yet. What was he doing? Gods, she made a mistake. She should never have come here. Would he really hurt her? Too many questions right now. She needed to concentrate on the fact that he was pressing a damn knife against her throat. One wrong movement, and he could kill her.

"Shhh, princess. I don't want to hurt your pretty skin or your pretty face."

He removed the dagger from her throat and ran it across her face, nuzzling his nose against her hair. She wanted to scream or tell him to stop, but she had a huge lump in her throat. She shivered when he ran the blade back to her neck, pressing it against her skin even more this time.

"Afraid?"

Killian was playing with her, and she knew it. She just didn't know why he liked to play with her like that. Maybe it was his generel attitude because she really couldn't remember ever doing anything to him.

"No."

She wouldn't let him win this stupid game, but she also wouldn't play it. Of course, she was kind of afraid. She barely knew him, and she didn't know what he could do to her, and right now he had a knife pressed against her throat. A broken man could do a lot, she knew that. Broken people tended to be rude sometimes, and some people became killers when their loved ones died.

"You know, love, I'm really curious. Why are you in here? What did you hope to find?"

His voice was rough and husky right next to her ear now, and another shiver ran through her body, goosebumps raising on her skin. No matter how much she disliked him, his voice had something…special. It was deep and rough, a slight accent, and under other circumstances, it would probably be hot.

"I…I don't know."

Every time she spoke her larynx ran over the sharp blade, and she was afraid that at any second she could make a wrong move and would cut herself.  
She heard him laughing behind her and felt how he shook his head, pressing himself more against her, running his hand down her stomach.

"Some doors are supposed to stay closed, love. And more importantly, some doors should never be re-opened."

Killian took the dagger away and ran his hand up her body to her neck, closing his hand around it and lifting her chin up. She couldn't stop herself from swallowing, and he started to laugh again.

"So you _are_ afraid, my love."

Gods, she wanted to tell him she was not his love, darling, or anything like that, but right now, as long as he had the knife still close to her, it wasn't smart. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss on the skin of her shoulder before he turned her around, pressing the tip of the dagger under her chin so she was looking up at him. She felt a brief pain, but she wasn't bleeding, not yet, but speaking was no option anymore now.

Emma would have swallowed if she could because she saw nothing human in his eyes. They were dark, dull, and dangerous, and she probably should be afraid. She really should, but she kept telling herself he couldn't kill her or do anything to her because he had to marry her. It was the agreement - they had to marry each other, otherwise both kingdoms wouldn't survive the upcoming war. The ogres were already close, and they still had no idea what was rising in the west since no one was able to break the magic barrier or even wanted to go close to it.

He slid the blade down her throat to her cleavage, but his gaze was fixed on her eyes. His hand was on her hip, her body close to his. After a few moments, he rolled his hips slightly forward, and damn her, her body responded. No, no this was bad. This was so bad, and the smirk on his lips didn't make it better. He knew. Or well, no, he didn't because there was nothing to know. She admitted he was attractive but nothing more.

"You shouldn't be in here, princess."

He licked his lips and raised an eyebrow while a dark and wolfish grin settled on his lips. She was in trouble, in so much trouble. He took a step forward, she took a step back. They played this game until her back hit the door she had found, and he stood right in front of her, tilting his head, sliding the dagger up to her neck again.

"I was really curious how long you would need until you came in here. I thought you would at least take a few days, thinking about the possibility that I might have noticed you while you followed me, but obviously this wasn't an option."

Her eyes widened while he spoke. He knew that she had followed him? Gods she wanted to scream; she felt so stupid. She had never seen anyone around, and now he told her he had known. Asshole.

"And running off to Tink wasn't a smart idea, sweetheart. Did you really think I wouldn't know?"

"Did she…tell you?" She blinked at him and was kind of relieved when he shook his head. She had thought for a second that Tink had betrayed her. She was her friend, and it would hurt to know she couldn't trust her.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere in this castle, love. Too bad she wasn't able to tell you the truth."

She could see how much he enjoyed this. The blade pressed against the side of her neck now, could still kill her if he wanted to. She really didn't know if she should be afraid or if he just wanted to play because he was bored. But what was he even talking about? Not the truth?

Emma bit her bottom lip and swallowed, feeling the blade against her skin even more before she looked to the ground for a few seconds, then back into his dark eyes.

"What do you mean with the truth?"

He chuckled darkly and slid the knife up to her cheek before he cut her. She hissed in pain and felt the warm blood running down her cheek. Bastard. But as long as he held the dagger close to her, it wouldn't be a smart move to insult him. She just took a few deep breaths, and it seemed to amuse him.

"You're a brave girl, love. I like that, but are you sure you can handle the truth?"

She was about to snort but held it back. Smug asshole, of course she would be able to handle the truth. That was at least what she wanted to show him. It was like with dogs. If you show them you are afraid, they would notice it and use it to their advantage. Right now, she felt like Killian wouldn't be different. He was probably some kind of sadistic asshole that had fun making people cry or scaring them, and yes, she was afraid, kind of, but she wouldn't show it. She would be a queen one day, a strong and independent queen.  
So she just raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him with just one look, and his wolfish grin got even wider.

"I did it. I set up the fire and killed all those people."


	5. Chapter 5

Emma swallowed hard, needing a moment to realize what he just said. He had set up the fire? He killed all these people? His own step mother? His own brother? That was disgusting. She was afraid to ask why he did it. Afraid to ask what would happen now that he told her because she doubted that anyone else knew about this. Maybe the king, but probably not. But she needed to know. She needed to know why this man did what he did because at the end of the day, she had to marry him, probably sooner rather than later, and she couldn't live a life with lies.

She was about to say something when he took a step back and walked toward the desk, grabbing a chair and putting it in the middle of the room before he sat down, playing with the dagger in his hand. He had an amused look on his face while she stood there close to the door, like her feet were frozen to the ground. She didn't want to move, but she wanted to get away from him. She didn't even want answers from him, not now.

"What? I thought you weren't afraid of me, love? I told you that you're not able to handle the truth."

He chuckled darkly and licked his lips, something dangerous in his eyes while the wolfish grin was still present. She bit her bottom lip and snorted; she wasn't afraid. Maybe it would become true if she told it herself over and over again. She had never met someone like him. Someone so cold-hearted but mysterious and interesting at the same time. Gods, what was wrong with her? She thought he was interesting after he told her that he killed a bunch of people?

"I handle it quite well, thank you."

Killian just raised an eyebrow before laughing when he saw that she was looking at the door. Damn him. Of course he had to see that she was trying to figure out how she could away from him as fast as possible. Even if there was something that told her to stay and to listen to him, most of her told her to leave right away.

"Don't even think about it. It's locked," he said with a smirk on his face before he reached into the pocket of his long red coat and pulled a key out. "I locked it. Don't want you to get out before we talked about everything." He winked, and she growled, biting her bottom lip hard.

"What else is there to talk about? You're a monster and a murderer," she said with a shrug like she didn't care at all. She saw how he gritted his teeth. Weak spot? Maybe.

"I'm not a murderer."

Emma laughed before she walking toward him while he still sat on that chair. She wasn't afraid. She wouldn't show her fear. He was just a man with a dagger, nothing else. No magic, no powers, just a man. She was about to say something, but he was faster than her.

"I quite like the few. How about you get rid of your dress? Or should I help you?"

She blinked a few times, but when she saw the smug grin on his face, she closed her eyes and shook her head. Disgusting. Just disgusting. He had touched her enough for weeks. She didn't want his touch, didn't want to feel his fingers on her skin, but damn, she still felt his hand on her body. Somehow.

"Only in your dreams."

He chuckled. It was still just fun for him. But what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't get out, and attacking was no option. She was literally stuck in there with him, and she hated it. And him. The whole situation was totally messed up. A few hours ago, he completely ignored her, and now he was like…this. Maybe he changes his attitude at night and becomes another man. Who knew. This was a strange place, she knew it since they had arrived, and it already felt like she had spent too much time in this place.

"Just let me out. I won't tell anyone," she said in a whisper, knowing that it was a weak try to get out and away from him. The young princess swallowed slightly and tried to avoid his gaze when she walked over and sat down on the bed, hoping he wouldn't follow her, and he just kept sitting there in his chair.

"Do you really think I would care about if you tell anyone? No one will believe you anyway," he told her with a grin before he took his chair and walked toward her, sitting down right in front of her, licking his lips and playing with the dagger in his hands. It surprised her that he hadn't cut himself yet.

"You know, I had a good reason to kill them."

She frowned and shook her head. That was wrong. There is never a good reason to kill innocent people, and she doubted that a servant or his step-mother could have done something bad to him.

"There's never a good reason to kill anyone. It's always wrong."

And then he started laughing. A deep and loud laugh but not full of joy. Just dark and evil. Yes, that's what he was. Evil. A sadistic, evil bastard who liked to play games. She wasn't quite sure what exactly he played or why, but all she could think of was that he wanted to push her to a breaking point so she would be willing to do whatever he wanted. So that he could be the king he wanted with two kingdoms to reign over, and she would be his queen, just nodding and agreeing to everything, but no. Not with her.

"Actually, no. You've obviously never killed someone. You don't know what it feels like when the adrenaline rushes through your body as soon as you have blood on your hands. You should try it from time to time. It gives you a feeling of being alive."

He dared to tell her this with a grin on his face while he wiggled his eyebrows. Her gaze dropped to the dagger in his hands, then back to his face. The prince was a murderer, and he would probably get away with everything. This wasn't good at all.

"But I didn't kill them for the feeling. It's hard to feel much these times," he told her with a shrug before he looked around the room, then back to her. "The queen, the new queen. I didn't like her. My father used her to replace my mother. I was fine with it, for a while. Then she got pregnant. Wanted to use the room here for her new child, the room of my dead brother. The king was okay with it. Couldn't stand the thought, so I burned them."

He shrugged again like he didn't care at all, and she could see in his eyes that he really didn't. All these lives he took, it was his fault, and he didn't seem to feel guilty or sorry or anything. She swallowed while he dug the tip of the knife into the armrest of the chair.

"Your brother didn't die in the fire?" she asked and tilted her head slightly.

"No."

She could take from his tone that she wouldn't get more answers on that topic, no matter if she would ask now or not. So this was indeed the room of his brother, and he burned all these people because he was…jealous of an unborn child? Did he see a threat in the child? Emma looked away from him. This was disgusting. She should leave court as soon as possible, but she knew she couldn't. At least he had told her the truth. Even if it was a gruesome truth, it was better than a lie.

Then she felt the dagger on her cheek, and he turned her head back so she was looking him in the eyes again. Deep blue but dull. They could be beautiful if they were bright. She swallowed again when he leaned forward, one hand on her thigh.

"We should go," he told her in a husky voice. She frowned and leaned back. He was too close in her opinion.

"Go where?"

"Well, back to our rooms. It's late, and you look like you have to think about something, and you should get some sleep."

She didn't trust him. He just told her that it was his fault that people died in the burned wing, and now he let her go? Just like that? He got up and walked toward the door, but she stayed on the bed for a moment, and he turned around to look at her, waiting for her.

"So you were jealous of an unborn child?"

Emma got up and walked toward him, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms in front of her chest. She wasn't afraid of him or his dagger or what he could do to her. He wouldn't. She saw how he gritted his teeth when he unlocked the door and didn't look at her for a moment before he turned around to face her.

"I'm quite sure you can understand that, darling."

He tried to hide his anger behind a smug grin, and she frowned, watching him open the door, and tried to figure out how to get past him, but he blocked the way with his body.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, do you really think you're just here to marry me? Looks like your parents didn't tell you they're expecting a new child. They're replacing you. With this marriage, they're getting rid of you. They don't want you back," he said with a shrug before he walked out of the door.

Emma just stood there, eyes wide with shock. He was lying. It was a lie. Her parents would have told her if they were expecting a child. They loved her - there was no way they would do that. She took a big step forward, grabbing his upper arm tight and pulling him back.

"That's not true!" she said, almost like she was panicking. He just looked to her, then to her hand, and back to her, and when she saw his look, she let go of him arm, swallowing hard. "You can't know this," she added in a whisper, looking down and feeling the tears gather in her eyes. The thought that her parents abandoned her hurt her. They couldn't do this. Not again.

"You might call me a murderer and a bastard, you might curse me in your mind, and you might be right with all of this, but I'm not a liar," he said, almost quiet, and when she looked up again she looked right into his eyes, and she knew. She knew he wasn't lying, and it hurt her.

"How do you know about this? That my…my mother is pregnant again?"

She swallowed and try to hold his gaze, but this time he was the one looking away from her, down the burned hallway. It took several moments before he finally answered, still not looking at her.

"I just know. That's what I do as a prince. It's politics. I have to know such things."

Emma bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath, gritting her teeth. If he was right, and her mother was really pregnant, then he might be right about them getting rid of her, at least for a while. She took a few deep breaths, trying to stay calm, trying not to be weak in front of him.

"Why did you tell me?"

He looked back at her and frowned. She saw the confusion on his face, then he just shrugged.

"To show you that it's not as bad here as you might think. This is your home now, and you should get used to it without sneaking around. You can't go back to your kingdom, so don't even try to tell the truth about the burned wing." His voice was dark and full of warning, and she had no desire to tell anyone when he looked at her like he would love to cut her throat with that knife.

"If I'm not supposed to tell anyone that story, why did you tell me in the first place?"

She didn't understand the point of telling her. He could have kept it a secret for the rest of their lives. No one would ever know what he did to the poor souls who died in here, but yet, he had told her. Killian just shrugged and turned around, walking down the hallway.

The princess huffed and shook her head. He was an arrogant bastard, but she preferred the truth. He was honest with her, and that was a start, right? But if he had told her this secrets and had secrets like that, what else was in his past? For her, it was like he was able to do anything he wanted to, and she followed him anyway.

* * *

They walked back into the hallway and toward their rooms, not talking to each other. He walked behind her, and she could feel his eyes on her back, making her cringe inside. She should freak out now that she knew what he did. She should tell someone, should do something, but she couldn't. She was close to a murderer, and she had no idea what to do just because he was the prince. Her future husband. Her family and her kingdom needed him and this marriage - without it they would lose the war. For now, they could hold the ogres away from the border, but they would need the strength of his kingdom to defeat them.

Emma yawned and opened the door to her room, thinking that he would just go away and to his chambers, not bothering her anymore, but of course he wouldn't leave her.

She just had slipped into her room and wanted to close the door behind her when she felt his hand against it. She raised an eyebrow and frowned, looking up at him. "What?" she asked him and sounded quite pissed.

"Do you think I'll just leave you now, princess?" He chuckled and shook his head, moving into her room and taking the key out of her lock, playing with it in his hands.

"Well, you're definitely not staying here, so I would prefer if you would leave me now." She growled slightly, and he looked at her with a pout, almost like a little boy, and it could have been cute if he wouldn't be like…like…damn, it was actually quite cute. Gods, she hated herself for thinking this man, this ruthless prince and murderer, was cute.

He just shook his head and closed the door behind him, leaning against it while watching her without saying anything for quite a while. Well, okay. She could play this game too, so she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him. Both said nothing for a couple of minutes until he finally laughed.

"Alright then. But don't try to get out, there won't be a way." Emma frowned and gave him an 'are you serious?' look until he held up the key to her room. He had to be shitting her. "Oh, sure because you have the right to lock me up and all." She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't change his face. He was serious about this, and now he wasn't cute at all anymore.

"You have to be kidding me…" She shook her head and turned around, walking toward her window and looking out into the night. Footsteps told her he was following her, and when she turned around, he was right behind her.

"Is that how our relationship will be? You do with me what you want? Do what pleases you? That's not going to work." Emma shook her head and held her hand out when she noticed that he was trying to get closer, but he just took it into his hand and took the last step so he was right in front of her. Out of reflex, she took a step back, and the wall was behind her. Again. Why did they always end up like this? This wasn't fair, and she was probably cursed or something.

He chuckled darkly and closed the gap between them, invading her personal space so much that it was disgusting and hot at the same time, because damn, she couldn't deny that he had something that made him interesting even if she should be afraid of him. She couldn't. She couldn't explain it, she couldn't name it, but it was there, between them. "Oh, love. I'm not going to do with you what I want and what pleases me because that would end in another way. I'm just trying to keep you safe. It would be a shame if you got hurt."

She felt his hot breath on her skin, and she swallowed slightly, licking her lips while she was looking at him, holding his gaze because she wasn't afraid. "To keep me safe? You're talking shit. I'm safe and I won't get hurt!" she said, raising her voice without noticing.

"Oh, but you will if you try to open doors that aren't supposed to be open!"

He literally growled at her and gritted his teeth, glaring at her. He was mad, mad at her, and she could see the danger in his eyes. His emotions and his behavior could change so fast and yes, that was maybe a little scary, but she wouldn't show him.

She knew she should get out of there or get him out of there as soon as possible, but it didn't look like he would change his mind about locking her up. Her own future husband, locking her up like an animal. Gods, that thought made her sick.

"Screw you."

Killian raised an eyebrow at her harsh response, and a wolfish grin settled on his lips. Was he turned on now or what? Damn, she hated it. Hated him and his way of being too close to her all the time and she couldn't do anything against it because he would be the future king. If she screwed it up, her kingdom would go down, and she might start a war with his kingdom and no. That wasn't an option. But she wouldn't take any shit from him either.

"Ah, you know, I would rather screw you, my dear princess."

The prince licked his lips and bit down on them while he looked down her body, then back to her eyes, wiggling his eyebrows. She took a deep breath before she shook her head.

"Don't you dare touch me." Her voice was low and calm, but inside she was angry at him.

He laughed and leaned forward, his face only inches away from her.

"Sweetheart, do you really think your weak protest would stop me? I know how to read a woman, and I know that you want me. Your body is telling me." She would love to slap that smug grin away from his face, but she knew he would only get more angry at her. She closed her eyes for a second, tried to focus, but froze when she felt his cold hand on her cheek, running his fingers down her soft skin slowly. She swallowed.

"Afraid?" He spoke those words against her lips. She could feel his soft skin, and she shivered slightly. She shouldn't like it, shouldn't be interested about how his lips would feel against hers, she should hate it because this was so wrong, so damn wrong. She didn't want to admit that she was attracted to him in some weird way that was not possible, a way she couldn't explain. He was a bastard, an asshole, he played with women, he was gruesome, he didn't care about others and yet, she was still here, didn't push him away. "No."

He smirked more and leaned closer, placing his lips on her. Emma closed her eyes again, feeling a warmth pooling in her stomach and only for a second she responded to the kiss because she couldn't control her body.

Only a moment later, she pushed him back and heard the echo of a slap. She had slapped him right across his handsome face. He looked away from her, but she could see the handprint on his cheek. Crap.

Her chest rose and sank heavily, and she saw how he started to shiver. She had no idea what would happen now, and he was already too close to get away.

"I-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence because he looked at her again with pure darkness in his eyes. His grip closed around her neck, and he pushed her into the wall behind him. She hissed and whimpered, laying her hands around his wrist but he was holding her tight, and there was nothing she could do about it…

"Don't do that again. You won't like what might happen if you do." His voice was a deep growl, and she saw how hard he had to fight to control himself, like he didn't even want what he was doing, like he had no choice, and this right now scared her more than the fact that he was a killer because a man who wasn't able to control his body and his actions was terrifying.

The grip tightened for a brief moment, and in the next second she heard the door falling shut loudly, heard it lock. He went out and he had really locked her up. She was alone. Her whole body trembled, and she sank to the ground, covering her face with her hands when the tears started to run down her face.

* * *

Killian closed the door of his room behind him and leaned against it, taking a few deep breaths. He swallowed and ran his hand over his face before he walked toward his desk. He took a bottle of rum and gulped it down, calming himself. His chest hurt, his empty chest. It was driving him insane, and this girl didn't make it better.

It had been a mistake to agree to that marriage. It was a mistake to keep her around. He sat down on his chair, waiting for Victor. He had met him on his way back here and asked him for a request.

After another sip, he shrugged his coat off, sat there only in a white shirt while he waited. He ran his hand over his chest, feeling no heartbeat. One. Two. Three. He counted the seconds before he pressed his eyes closed and threw the bottle of rum against the door, listening to the shattering of broken glass. He had to calm down, right now, or he would do something stupid.

He looked down to his hand, saw how much he was trembling, and he tried to take some deep breaths. A knocking at the door pulled him back into reality, and he frowned, counting again before he got up.

"Aye, come in."

He leaned against his desk and looked towards the door, watching Victor come in. "She's here."

Killian nodded and waved his hand, telling his guard and kind of friend to bring her in. She walked into his room with a confused look on her face, but he just smirked.

"Hello, Ruby. I'm glad you came. Go ahead, get yourself comfortable. We need to…talk."


	6. Chapter 6

Killian nodded toward a chair in the corner, and Ruby obeyed, sitting down tentatively. He noticed that she didn't feel comfortable in her own skin, but he couldn't care less about the way she tugged at the sleeves of her dress or how she pressed her legs together. He poured some more rum into his glass before he leaned against his dark, oak desk - just watching her for a long moment before he cleared his throat.

"How are you enjoying the castle, Mylady?" His voice was soft - almost cordial - and a small smile played at his lips.

Her eyebrow raised slightly; she probably didn't expect him to be like this since he wasn't very nice during their first meetings, and he had mostly ignored her all the other times they met.

"It's amazing. I'm glad to be here, your highness."

He chuckled and took a sip, knowing that she was just trying to be polite to her future king and that her words meant nothing. The girls did enjoy their time, but he could see that she would prefer it to be at home. In her eyes was the same look that princess Emma's displayed. The look of a homesick child. Hollow and sad. He gritted his teeth before he took another sip and nodded in her direction.

"Get up and turn around."

She frowned but did as he told her; she had to since he was the prince, and it was kind of amusing to him that she didn't even ask why. He watched as the folds of her red dress swayed gently as she turned around slowly, and he licked his lips with a smirk.

"May I ask why I'm here?"

Killian chuckled and put his glass down, taking a step closer and turning her face to him with a wolfish grin on his lips.

"Why do you think, love?"

She swallowed, and he had to hold back a laugh. If he was honest, he had never expected her to be like this. This lady did not appear to be one who was usually shy or reserved with words, but now she was nothing but his prey - didn't even dare to answer him.

He turned around again and stroked his stubble for a moment before he just shrugged.

"I want you to watch over Emma for me," he replied flatly. When he saw the perplexed look in her eyes, he just groaned and took a deep breath, not very keen on telling her everything that was on his mind.

"I will be leaving the castle for a few days, and I want you to watch over the princess. As soon as I'm back, you will tell me everything, every small detail that happened. What she does, who she talks to, where she takes her meals…"

Ruby snorted and shook her head while he just rolled his eyes. Of course she wouldn't agree at first, he knew this. In fact, he had bargained on it.

"She's my friend, that's betrayal." She turned her head away, arms rising to fold over her chest. A weak defense in his opinion.

"And I'm your future king, so you will do whatever I ask of you," he snarled, raising a challenging eyebrow while he bit down on his bottom lip. In one swift movement, he stood in front of her, holding her chin between his thumb and index finger, forcing her to look at him. "It would be a shame if your secret lover were to get hurt, eh?"

She widened her eyes in shock and swallowed hard, wanting to turn her face, but he didn't let her. He was holding her so tight that it almost hurt. A sadistic grin crept on his lips while his face was only inches away from hers. He knew he was invading her personal space, but he couldn't care less right now. He could almost hear the pounding of her heart as his breath washed over her face.

"I can make his life a living hell just like yours. I can take you right here on this bed, screw you over and over again, and make him listen, maybe make him watch how I ravish the woman he pines for. Maybe I'll find a reason to behead him, who knows." He pinched his fingers tighter and tilted her chin so he could stare into her eyes with a devilish grin playing on his lips. "So you, my lady, can either let him suffer, knowing that everything that happens to him is your fault, or do what I say." His voice was husky and close to her ear. He could feel the goosebumps on her skin, and he enjoyed it way too much. Maybe he would fuck her one day. Just to hurt the little princess.

Ruby took a deep breath before shaking her head, and he frowned, slightly confused by her reaction.

"You won't hurt him. He's your friend." Killian blinked for a moment, and then pulled back some more before he started to laugh at her words, shaking his head a few times.

"I have no friends, love. I don't care about people." He leaned closer again, his lips close to hers.

It looked like she needed a moment to think. He could almost see the thoughts running through her mind. Would she risk it to lose her lover? There was no question that Killian knew what was going on. He had his eyes and ears all over the castle, and even Victor himself told him that he fancied this young lady in the red dress. He understood why. She was pretty -with full lips and pert breasts. Maybe she would be fit for a mistress, but he would decide that later.

Then he saw her finally nod, and he smirked before turning around and walking back to the desk, grabbing his glass again and taking a sip.

"You can go now, or stay for the night. Whatever you prefer."

He saw how annoyed and mad she was, how she bit her bottom lip, but he didn't care. She was about to open the door when he cleared his throat again. She turned around to face him, raising an eyebrow as a silent question that caused him to smirk wider.

"I don't think I need to tell you this is our little secret?" The way he spoke made the words sound so sordid and dirty, and he enjoyed the way she shuddered slightly. She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"Of course not, your highness." After these words, she gave a quick curtsey and left the room. He could only laugh at the way she slammed the door shut, imagining all her anger after this conversation.

* * *

Emma had been slightly confused at the fact that her door was open in the morning after he had locked her up the night before. For a moment, she had thought that everything had been a dream, but after a quick look into the mirror, she knew everything had been real. The little scratch on her cheek from his knife was more than real. She didn't know if she would be able to stay here for the rest of her life with him after what he had done.

Right now, she was on her way down to the stables to check on her horse since it was officially hers now. At least she had one friend when everyone else let her down. She was surprised when she heard that the prince and some guards were going on a journey for a few days. The servants talked, and the rumor spread fast. Why would he go? She didn't think that it was because of her and what he told her. He wouldn't run away. She asked a young lady on her way, but she didn't know anything more.

The princess sighed and walked toward the big gate where the guards and their horses already stood in position but no sight of Killian. She gritted her teeth for a moment and was about to ask Victor about what was going on when she saw him. In a suit of armor. Oh great, this just got better. Why was he allowed to wear that and look so handsome in it?Wait. No. He wasn't handsome; he was a bastard who liked to hurt people. Not handsome.

He held his helmet under his arm and rolled his eyes when he saw her walking toward him. The sun made his face softer, but he still looked serious and dangerous, not like a knight in shining armor, more like a dark knight on his way to destroy lives. Charming.

"Where are you going?" she asked him and tried to look him in the eyes, but he avoided her gaze and just kept walking until she grabbed his arm. Again. He made it clear last night that he didn't like that, but yet, she did it again. She let go immediately when she saw that she had his attention before she cleared her throat.

"Don't you think I should know where you're going? As your future wife?"

The way the words came out of her mouth made it clear that she wasn't very keen on being his wife. She heard him snort before he continued walking. Gods, that made her slightly mad. She hated to be ignored like that. She wasn't used to it.

"Killian!" she literally yelled, louder than she had planned. When every pair of eyes laid on her, she swallowed hard and smiled shyly for a second before her gaze met his, and damn, if looks could kill, she would be dead now. Twice.

He threw his helmet to one of the guards before he stomped back to her, grabbing her upper arm tighter than she preferred and dragging her aside.

"What?" he hissed and gritted his teeth. She could see the anger playing in his eyes. Weak spot. She was really good at finding out his weak spots and was sure that he would kill her one day for that.

For a long moment, she forgot what she was about to say until she shrugged his hand off her arm and took a deep breath. "I just want to know where are you going. No need to ignore me!" No matter what was wrong with him and how cruel he had been, she would stand up to him. He couldn't do everything he wanted, and she needed to show him that if this marriage was going to work.

She saw how he needed a moment to fight control, could see his body shake for a moment. "I'm going on a journey for a few days. Why and where is none of your business. And don't you dare make me look like a fool in front of my men again." He literally growled at her before he turned around and was about to walk away.

"Why did you let me out?"

It was confusing since he said he would lock her up for quite a while, so no reason to let her out, actually. He didn't even look back at her when he shrugged with his shoulders and walked over to his horse. After a few more minutes, the whole group of knights and guards was out of the big gate, and Emma remained alone with a few servants. She should use the time without him to her advantage as much as she possibly could.

* * *

Five days. Five days and no sign from him, and if she was honest, she was so happy about it. She had spent a lot of time with Ruby and Tinkerbell, exploring the castle and the city around it, talking to civilians and royals, having a lot of girl time while they were out on their horses in the woods and so much more. Without the prince around her, she finally felt safe and free. The king was barely there, mostly in his chambers, but she had accepted it. For the first time since they arrived at the castle, she had felt truly happy.

Without him, there wasn't this permanent presence of a danger. Of something that would hurt her. She knew it was stupid, but as soon as he was around, she didn't feel safe anymore. She felt like someone always watched her, like she could already feel the cold hand around her neck, just waiting to squeeze hard enough to take any air she needed to breathe. But now, without him, everything was better. She didn't even know why she felt like this, but if she was honest with herself, she didn't even want to know.

Tink left the previous day to visit some friends, so Emma and Ruby were alone most of the time since Victor was on the journey with Killian. Unlike Emma, the other girl missed her whatever he was to her quite a lot. She acted slightly different than usual, and the princess thought it was just because she missed the handsome guard, without knowing what was really going on and that her best friend was literally a spy.

They laid down in the grass on a blanket in the big garden of the castle, staring into the blue sky when Emma finally made a move.

"What's wrong, Ruby?"

She turned around to her side so that she was able to look at her friend, but she kept looking into the sky. Emma tilted her head slightly and frowned.

"Hey."

This time Ruby sat up, and Emma did the same until they finally looked at each other. She hated to see her friend miserable like that, but she also didn't know how to cheer her up this time since she wasn't able to bring Victor back just like that.

"It's just because of Victor. I miss him."

Emma frowned slightly when Ruby looked away again. She wasn't sure, but her gut told her that wasn't everything, but before she could ask, Ruby stood up and turned around, just looking over her shoulder down to her friend.

"I have something to do in town. I will see you tomorrow."

With these words, she turned completely and left Emma alone on the ground. She blinked a few times - this was a totally new reaction from her friend, and she started to worry. Ruby could always talk to her, and the girl knew that.

Emma let herself fall back on the blanket and took a deep breath. She was still wearing her riding clothes from their trip earlier, and it just felt good to be a little normal when Killian was out. Right now, she was no princess with an arranged marriage and a stupid future husband. Right now, she was just Emma without responsibilities or a whole kingdom to reign. Right now, she was just a girl, and she didn't have enough moments of that in her life.

She realized she missed her parents a lot. Even with their complicated past, she loved them more than anything else, and she was glad that she grew up in the castle for at least the past few years. Maybe she should go back into her room and write a letter to her parents. The sun was going down anyway, and it would get cold soon.

After she looked around quickly, she yawned slightly and took the blanket, walking inside of the castle. A few servants wanted to take the blanket, but she just shook her head. She was able to carry the piece of fabric on her own. She was wondering where Ruby went, but she also didn't want to annoy her friend. It was her problem if she didn't want to talk. With the hope that that would change, she walked back into her room, put the blanket down, and started to think about what she should write.

Honestly, she had no idea. She could barely tell her parents that her future husband was more of a scoundrel than a gentleman or that he was hiding something in a burned wing where he killed a part of his family because he was jealous of an unborn child. Or well, she could write that, actually, but that would cause war, and she didn't want the civilians to get hurt because of her. She would probably just tell her parents that everything was fine and that she missed them, hoping to see them soon. Yes, that should be enough.

* * *

He was exhausted, and he really wanted to get down from that horse. They were riding through the forest for hours now, and his butt hurt. He had already took his armor off because it was just too hot under it, and even after the sun had went down, it was way too warm with the summer air around them. Of course they could have taken breaks, but in some parts of the woods, you don't get down from your horse; you keep moving because otherwise you have a sword in your back or an arrow in your neck.

Killian was glad as soon as they came out of the forest and could see the castle in the distance. Home. Finally home. He hadn't planned on staying away for so long, but they had to make sure their coasts were safe from every ship that came from the west and the east. Well, actually, they needed to make sure every ship was friendly since there was some tension with the kingdoms of the west, and there had been attacks on the sea. Some of their ships had been boarded, and they lost their goods.

But now, after a few days, he had made sure that no one was attacking the ships anymore. With some deals and some gold you can convince anyone to work for you. What he did in the end was his secret. He didn't even tell his men what was the actual price for a safe coast and safe trade routes because he already knew they wouldn't approve, but he didn't care. His kingdom, his people, his choices.

As soon as they got to the stables, his knights and guards vanished rather quickly. Almost everyone had a family or wanted to get some rest while he stayed with his horse for a while, taking care of it while he drank some of his rum. He watched the dark castle in the night, almost no light was on since everyone except the guards should be asleep. It was really late, and he had planned on being here earlier, but of course, it didn't work out like that.

He stroked the back of his horse once more before he walked outside, and a small light caught his attention. Before he could walk far enough to see what it was, he heard voices screaming. His eyebrow rose, and he put his rum back into the pocket of his coat before he heard the voices again, but he couldn't quite understand what they were saying.

Then he heard an explosion, heard glass shatter, and a big flame struck out of the window. A devilish grin settled on his lips, and he heard another guard yelling.

"The fire! It's Princess Emma's room!"


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was peacefully asleep. It was one of the rare nights where she could actually sleep without over-thinking everything. She could dream about how her life could be much better than this, having a caring husband, wonderful kids and a kingdom full of people who loved the royal family. She dreamed of her family and her sibling, living together in the castle, and she loved being a big sister.  
She turned around in bed, but a weird smell caused her to wrinkle her nose while she was still asleep. Probably just because of the dream she had, but even when the scene in her dream changed, the smell didn't go away. Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times until she saw black smoke.

Immediately, she sat up straight in bed, watching the flames run high on her curtains and the furniture. A scream left her throat before she started to cough. The smoke was already too thick. She jumped up from her bed, running toward the door, but it was locked, damn. She didn't even remember locking it! She was on the way to the window when something exploaded. It shattered the windows, the glass flew around the door, and she was barely able to hide behind the desk. The only thing that wasn't burning yet. She was trapped, and the smoke would probably kill her before the fire.

Her instincts told her to go back to the door, but she couldn't; her legs didn't want to move, and she felt sick in her stomach. She couldn't breathe, and before she realized it, everything around her went black, and her head hit the ground hard.

* * *

His smile faded fast when he realized what the guards were yelling, and his gaze snapped back to the window. He saw the burning curtains, and he frowned. No, no, no, no! It wasn't planned like this, not like this. This wasn't right! It wasn't supposed to be her. Bastard.

Killian clenched his hand into a fist before he started running into the castle, up the stairs, and to the wing of the building where her room was. He needed to hurry. As soon as he could see her door, he saw some servants with water and some guards, trying to open the door but it didn't work. Of course it didn't!

He ran towards them, but before he could reach the door his chest ached. His fingers grabbed his shirt over his chest when he fell on his knees. He couldn't breathe, damn it! Not yet, not yet, he had no time. She would die in there.

"My Lord!"

One of the guards ran toward him and helped him up but Killian jerked his arm back, trying to catch a breath, shaking his head.

"I'm fine. Get more water." He tried to sound calm, but he wasn't - the pain in his chest ripped him apart, and he could barely stand, but he had to. Right now, he had to.

"But we can't get inside!"

Killian growled at the guard and glared at him before the other man nodded and went away, probably calling more servants to get more water.

He tried to catch a breath. One deep breath. Two. Three. Then he moved toward the door, could see the smoke coming out of it, could feel the heat on his skin. She would burn alive in there.

"Out of the way! Get more water!" he growled at the servants and the guards. One of them opened their mouth to say something, but when he saw the look on Killian's face, he shut his mouth.

The prince held the handle down, trying to open it before he threw himself against the door with a dark growl until his shoulder hurt. "Come on! It's me you want!" He literally yelled at the door and was glad that the guards and servants went away to get the water. After he took another deep breath, he threw himself one more time against the door and almost stumbled into the room when it opened.

The only thing he could see for a second was the black smoke until he saw the flames surrounding her. He could feel the heat on his face. It was almost too much. He felt like he would burn himself. Everything in this room was burning, except for her. He bit his bottom lip hard, looked around but couldn't find a way to her. He needed to go through the flames, god damn.

Killian looked behind him to make sure no one was there before he looked back at her, saw how the flames crept closer to her. "Really now?" He growled before he walked a few steps back. One deep breath. Two. Three. His chest hurt. Then he started running and jumped over the flames into the circle where she lie. He was about to pick her up when one flame attacked him. A low growl left his lips when he felt the fire on his arm, burning his skin but he couldn't think about this now; he needed to get her out of there.

He picked her up from the floor, carrying her in his arms, but there was no way he could jump with her. The flames got closer and closer, and he took a deep breath, ignoring the pain on his arm and in his chest. He needed to. There was no other way, and he wouldn't let her burn. One deep breath. Two. Three. He started running, right through the flames, could feel the heat around his legs while adrenaline was pumping through his veins.

As soon as they were out of the room, his legs gave in and fell, turning slightly so he fell on his back with her still in his arms before he crawled as far away from the fire as possible until his back hit the cold wall. The guards and servants came back, trying to extinguish the fire, trying to make it stop but he didn't care. His whole body was on fire. He felt like he would burn alive right now, everything hurt; he couldn't breath, it was ripping him apart before he also lost consciousness.

* * *

He woke up in his room with an aching pain throughout his whole body. He took some deep breaths, his chest rising and sinking heavily. Everything hurt while he was trying to remember what happened before it hit him. Without thinking, he sat up in bed and regretted it one second later as everything was spinning. He held one hand against his head and heard footsteps.

"My Prince, you're awake. The healer just left to look for the princess. Shall I call him back?"

Victor was right beside his bed, looking at him, but Killian just shook his head slightly. It was better to look for Emma. He didn't know how much of that smoke got into her lungs. She could die. He just had a burned arm and burned legs. Wait. His legs.

He threw the blanket away and saw that they were completely fine. A new pair of pants, but no bandages, no blood, nothing. That wasn't possible - he had run straight through the fire. There was no way they could be without any wounds. His gaze went to his left arm and saw a bandage and could feel the pain. He was hurt there, but why the hell were his legs okay?

For a moment, he wanted to ask Victor, but he wasn't there during the incident. He gritted his teeth slightly before he grabbed a cup of water from the nightstand, gulping it down. His throat was way too dry.

"How long have I been asleep? How's the princess?"

The guard looked at him for a moment before he sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Seven hours, maybe a bit more. You were exhausted, and then the whole fire thing. And as for the princess, I'm not sure. No one was allowed to go into her room."

Killian frowned and swallowed slightly; it was never a good sign when the healer acted like this. Not like he would care.

"What about my father? Did he ask for her or me?" Victor swallowed and shook his head slightly, biting on his bottom lip, and Killian let out a deep growl.

"Victor. What's wrong?" he asked and had to fight to control his temper. Something was wrong, and he already didn't like it. "The king isn't in the castle."

"What?!" Killian widened his eyes and rasied his eyebrows. What the hell was going on?

"According to some other guards, he left the castle a few days ago to meet with some royals from the north." He saw that Victor almost felt bad for telling him and avoided his eyes. Killian growled before he got out of bed, almost falling on the ground because his legs didn't want to carry him. Victor jumped up to hold him.

"Why the hell did he leave while I wasn't here? He left the castle unprotected! They could have attacked us, and that bastard didn't care!"

Anger was boiling up, and he could already feel the adrenaline come back, but Victor sat him back on the bed.

"You can't walk, Killian. And stress is the last thing you need. Try to calm down."

This wasn't the guard speaking anymore, it was his friend or whatever they were. A long time ago, he would have called him a friend, but now? He threatened his life, he blackmailed Ruby with it, and he wasn't even sorry. Killian gritted his teeth and bit his bottom lip before he let himself fall back on the bed, taking a few deep breaths while he held his arm still.

"I can't stay here," he said in a whisper. He had to look for Emma. It was his fault that she got hurt. This hadn't been his plan. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

"You can't go out either. They want answers, and since your father isn't here, they want them from you. The people are insecure." Victor was right, and he knew it. But he didn't want to tell them the truth and first of all he had to check for Emma. He turned his head and looked out of the window, it was barely noon. He flicked his tongue over his bottom lip before he sat up straight.

"I'll go and check how she is before I deal with them. Fetch me my shirt."

* * *

Emma felt like she had slept for days when she slowly opened her eyes. A pain shot through her head, and breathing was kind of hard. She tried to remember what happened, pictures of smoke and fire flashed behind her eyelids before her memories came back. But how was she here? How did she get out? She couldn't remember. She must have lost consciousness at some point. There was the explosion and the locked door and the breathing problems.

She opened her eyes and sat up. For a moment her vision was blurry before she was able to look around. The sun was already up, so maybe it was afternoon? It was also not her room and not her bed. It seemed to be some kind of a spare room because besides a bed, a table, a few chairs, and a small wardrobe, the room was quite empty. A cold room. She shivered out of reflex even if she wasn't freezing.

Her eyes wandered around to the right side of her bed, and she was surprised to see him there. Sitting in a chair with black leather pants and a black shirt, his hair messy like he just ran his hand through it, and his arm was covered with a bandage. Did he? No. No, he didn't. He wouldn't care if she burned or not, but what was he doing in here?

He wasn't even awake, and it made her smile for a moment. No matter how ruthless he seemed, how cruel and careless he acted, right now she could see nothing of that man. His eyes were closed, his chest rose and fell slightly and steadily, his face looked so soft and peacful while he was sleeping in that chair. He seemed to be so young and innocent. For a moment, she had the urge to run her hand over his cheek, to feel him, but then she realized who he actually was, and she pulled her hand back. She had reached out to him without realizing it.

After a long moment of just watching him, she cleared her throat loudly, hoping he would wake up from that, but he didn't. He just shifted slightly and turned his face to the other side, and she couldn't hide her smile. It was kind of cute.

"Killian," she whispered, not wanting to wake him up too harshly, and this time, he mumbled something before he opened his eyes and yawned, turning his head to her, and she could swear that there was a little smile on his lips for a brief moment.

"Ah, the sleeping princess is awake," he said and chuckled before he sat up straight and leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs and his head in his hands, looking at her with those incredible blue eyes.

She bit her bottom lip for a moment and then cleared her throat again. "What happened?" she asked, still slightly confused about the whole thing. It made her feel insecure that there was a fire in her room without any signs, just like that.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. "Well, there was a fire in your room, and I think you lost consciousness because of all the smoke and because it was hard to breathe in there." Wow, thank you for that information. She already knew that. She shook her head slightly, and her eyes landed back on his wounded arm before she nodded in that direction.

Killian didn't need words this time; he knew what she wanted to know. He understood her. He just laughed and shook his head. "Someone needed to get you out of there." With a shrug, he leaned back in the chair, but his eyes never left hers. So he had saved her like she thought.

Emma looked down for a long moment and bit her bottom lip, not quite sure if she should ask the question that was on her mind, but as soon as she looked up, she couldn't help herself. "Why?" She could see how he frowned, and she knew it was a dumb question, but it was such a huge difference from the moment in the burned wing to now, and she just needed to know. "I mean, it would have been easier to let me burn there, so you wouldn't have to deal with me. I mean…you did it before. You killed people before with fire."

She could see how he tensed up and gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw, and she knew she had asked the wrong question. For a moment, she expected him not to answer, not to say anything. She expected him to leave without a word but he just leaned forward again, staring into her eyes with a glint of darkness in his own. It almost looked like he had no answer for this question, and she knew she was right when he just shrugged.

"I was away for days. I couldn't set up the fire, eh? Besides that, I have more from it if I marry you." There was a hint of a growl in his voice, and she wouldn't get further into this. He had seem so innocent while he was asleep, and now he was like that again. She didn't need to get him mad at her for asking questions she wasn't supposed to ask, but right now, she actually just wanted to go.

"Do you know what caused the fire?" she asked him anyway, not more than a whisper, avoiding his eyes while she sank back into the bed, leaning against the headboard, just looking at him for a moment. He needed to think about the answer. She could see it in his eyes and the way he breathed.

"Yes." Well, she didn't expect that. So he knew who almost killed her? Who wanted to get rid of her? She opened her mouth to ask but he cut her off. "And I'll take care of it." With these words, he got up and was about to leave her room but again, she reached out, and this time she grabbed his hand, looking up at him. As soon as her soft hand touched his skin. he gasped and flinched slightly. Did she hurt him? She had touched his right hand, it should be okay, not like his left one. She frowned, but then he looked over his shoulder, down at her, starting to breathe heavily.

"Please, tell me." she begged him and didn't let go of his hand, and he didn't pull it away. Did something happen in the days he was away that changed his mind toward her? Maybe he just had a few good fucks to let out all the anger. The skin on his hand was rough and calloused while hers was soft. Only after another long moment did he pull his hand slowly back, touching the left half of his chest with it like he was trying to ease the pain before.

"Magic. I'll let you know when I get more information. Get some rest." Before she could say more, he had already left her room. Magic? She didn't even know anyone who was able to use magic so why would someone try to kill her, especially now when she was protected like this?

Emma sighed and put her head back into the pillow, and she dosed off to sleep only a few minutes later.

* * *

Killian sat on the king's throne in the empty throne room. He had wanted it clear because he wanted to think, and as long as his father wasn't here, he was the one in charge. Even if he was still mad at his father for leaving the castle and the people unprotected, he couldn't let the business down. Someone needed to reign, and for now, it would be him.

The rumor of the fire had spread as fast as the one with the dead children, and he didn't like it at all. Rumors spread way too fast, and too many things were happening. Why right now? Had it something to do with Emma's arrival? Were their enemies afraid of the moment when they would marry and unite the kingdoms? Possibly.

He knew the reason for the fire - it was payback, but he couldn't tell this to his people. They needed something good. He didn't need more insecurity in his kingdom. People who were afraid tended to do stupid things, maybe even start a revolution, and even if he didn't care about the people and what would happen to them during a war, he did care about his power, about his kingdom as a whole. He wanted to be king, and he would be, no matter what it would cost.

One leg streched out in front of him as he leaned back into the throne. He sat there, elbow on the armrest and his head in his hand, a bored look on his face while he tried some lines in his head that would sound good. A knock at the door confused him for a moment before he sat up straight.

"Aye, come in." He yelled toward the door, and the heavy wood opened. For a moment, he had thought that Emma had come to visit him, but it was Victor, and he sighed with relief.

"Your grace. The people are getting nervous because you didn't tell them anything yet." Victor stopped in front of the stairs that lead up to the throne, his gaze fixed on the prince, and Killian growled slightly, standing up while he bit his bottom lip.

"You know what caused the fire, right?" And there it was again, the look in the eyes of his guard that told him that he was concerned. The prince rolled his eyes but nodded. Why had they become friends again all this time ago?

"Of course I do, it's just something we can't spread around. It would damage the kingdom only more, and we can't take more insecurity and damage inside of the nation. We have to tell them a lie because the same person who set up the fire might be the same person who killed the children." If Victor was a normal guard, Killian wouldn't even share this information with him, but they were kind of friends, and he could trust him more than any other man in the castle, probably even more than his own father. The other man was loyal and would always be, that was also the reason why he was the commander of the guards.

Killian walked down the stairs and to the window, looking out at the garden. The only thing that was always peaceful and free from danger. He had loved this place as a kid. Victor was silent but followed him. The prince sighed.

"It's because of what we have done at the coast. The fire was probably the payback, and it was supposed to hurt me, not her." He gritted his teeth slightly when he heard how Victor took a deep breath behind him. He turned around, looking at his friend.

"Please don't say what I have in mind. This can't be." The guard sounded almost terrified while he looked at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, shaking his head over and over again, but Killian just took a deep breath and nodded.

"It is. If I'm right, the Dark One is back."


End file.
